JOAN COLLINS UNSCRIPTED 2019

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Dame Joan Collins reveals the secrets of a successful marriage...

After no fewer than four divorces, Dame Joan Collins today reveals she has finally found the secrets to a happy marriage.

The first, she tells The Mail on Sunday Life supplement, is banishing your partner to another room if they snore. And another is sharing the housework. She says honesty and giving compliments are also key factors in keeping a relationship happy.

Dame Joan gives a revealing and sometimes hilarious insight into her 18-year marriage to theatre manager Percy Gibson in today’s exclusive interview. She says: ‘We are together 24/7 except when he snores, and I say, “Darling, I think it’s best that you sleep in the guest room tonight”.’

By Dame Joan Collins for The Mail on Sunday

Having just celebrated 16 glorious years of wedded bliss with the love of my life, I feel highly qualified to opine on the subject of marital happiness. After all, I’ve been practising being a wife almost all my life. I started on that rocky road on my 19th birthday, and since then there have been very few years when I haven’t been either married or in a relationship.

I’ve been married to an Irishman, an Englishman, an American and a Swede (it sounds like the start of a joke), but I highly recommend the half-Peruvian, half-Scottish breed as per my fifth husband, Percy Gibson. Here’s why…

When Percy and I met 18 years ago, I was in a long-term relationship that was dragging along. After the acrimonious divorce from my fourth husband, Peter Holm – a process that lasted longer than the 13-month marriage itself – I had declared that I never wanted to marry again, and I kept to that promise until I met Percy.

I was in San Francisco, performing in a stage production of A. R. Gurney’s Love Letters, and Percy was the theatre manager of the show. We hit it off immediately. He was funny, engaging, good-looking, and after the show I would socialise with him, my co-star George Hamilton and my daughter Katy.

We had a lorra lorra laughs and bonded like family. I remember one particularly wonderful evening in New York when Percy took me to see Kiss Me Kate, and while we listened to the romantic words of the song So In Love, we realised we had something.

Although Percy is three decades younger than me, it didn’t matter as the camaraderie between us grew during that six-week theatre tour. We discovered that our fathers were born in the same decade of the early 20th Century, and that they were strict and uncompromising with their children, so we also bonded over shared values.

By the time of the tragic events of 9/11, which made us both realise how precious, short and unpredictable life is, we decided we wanted to make our relationship permanent.

After we were married, I very much enjoyed being called Mrs Gibson, even though we hadn’t made it official on the marriage register. When the time came to fill in the document, I asked Percy if he wanted me to change my name to his but surprisingly he declined, explaining quite reasonably that my name was too long established professionally to be changing it for the sake of appearances. He was comfortable knowing that I was his wife. After all, at one time he did have to contend with being called Mr Collins, but he shrugged it off with a laugh.

Percy has been married once before, so between us we now have seven marriages, but nevertheless we are terribly happy. We adore the same things – theatre, movies, reading, good conversation and travelling. We also love working together and did several plays which Percy either managed or produced. Now we are on stage together as part of my theatre show. It’s all unscripted but Percy introduces our act, makes jokes and fields questions from members of the audience.

We are together 24/7 except when he snores, and I say: ‘Darling, I think it’s best that you sleep in the guest room tonight.’

Michael Caine once said the secret to a happy marriage is separate bathrooms. I know most people don’t have that luxury but in our homes, and whenever possible in hotels, we try to keep to that rule. It really does make a difference.

Although the age gap between us was commented upon constantly when we announced our engagement (when someone asked me whether I was worried about the difference, I quipped: ‘If he dies, he dies!’) the remarks have tempered as time has gone on and our marriage has flourished.

I see female friends with spouses the same age or older than them and they seem to take on the characteristics of that older person. And since women historically live longer than men, they often become widows in their 60s or 70s.

Marrying a younger man has the advantage of being with someone who has vigour, vitality, stamina and health, which certainly encourages me even further to keep in shape both physically and mentally. I’ve been active all my life and eat a healthy diet, so I am in good physical and mental health. Percy says sometimes he can’t keep up with my energy and zest for life, so I know a man my age could not!

The fact is that I feel no different really than I did 30 years ago and thank goodness for that. Yes, it takes effort to exercise two or three times a week, but everything in life worth having involves effort.

As for managing our daily lives, we do everything together, although Percy does most of the cooking, as he enjoys it more than I do

Family is also extremely important. I love my family and although we have our occasional differences, in the long run blood is thicker than water and I will always be there for my three children and three grandchildren. Percy totally supports my flock, even if they can be difficult at times. Being a Libra, he is infinitely more patient than me, a flighty Gemini, and he adores my family. As an only child and never having had one himself, he truly enjoys being with all the gang.

One of the reasons I believe many marriages break up within a few years is that couples initially fall in lust rather than love. The early days of any relationship are full of passion and desire. Hormones are rampant, libido rules and couples often tumble, excuse the pun, into a passionate marriage, believing it will be until death do us part.

But the relationship often disintegrates as soon as the adoration wanes and the real person is revealed. If sex is all there is, being with the same person and doing the same things in life – and in bed – can become tedious.

People put their best foot forward early in their mating period. They care about their grooming and their personal habits and they feel their best as the pheromones kick in. But as time passes and irritating habits such as snoring are revealed, they want to end it.

Joan & Percy onstage in Dubai

And they’re the lucky ones, because some discover that the person they married is actually mentally unbalanced or abusive, which is downright dangerous.

We made it clear from the beginning that there were certain things we wouldn’t tolerate in our marriage. Sadly, abuse is something I experienced in my first marriage, and no woman (or man) should ever allow it, either mental or physical, although so many still do. That is why I support the #MeToo movement and I hope that it will spread outside of showbusiness and fashion to help everyone.

Infidelity is another no-no. My marriage to Anthony Newley ended because of his womanising and to me that breaks a sacred bond. Faithfulness and trust in each other are essential, and I admit that I went down that dangerous path of being unfaithful when I was in an unhappy marriage w my third husband, who was addicted to drugs. That is another habit that cannot be endured in a marriage as it changes the person abusing the substances and can lead to enabling or worse, dragging the other person in the marriage down the same road.

Even without these extreme circumstances, accepting your partner as a human being, with all their faults, can be hard. Ultimately, friendship, mutual respect, values and understanding are what binds a relationship. Percy and I were lucky as we worked together first and became friends who lusted for each other from afar.

I think this was helpful as we found each other’s bad habits either surmountable or even endearing, and realised that despite them we enjoyed each other’s company. In fact, as I write this in Percy’s office, he is on his computer and it’s all extremely comfortable and cosy.

Of course, we get irritated with each other – his driving, my incessant interrupting, his snoring. I’m not a Stepford wife and he’s an alpha-male Peruvian-Scot, so sometimes we clash but it doesn’t last long and we are quick to say sorry. We don’t have any secrets.

We compliment each other all the time but I’m also quick to point out if he’s getting a bit of a tummy, and he will say if I’ve gone a bit OTT with the glitz.

I think Percy loves me best when we are at home together – me without make-up and with scraggly hair, and him unshaven and in his tracksuit bottoms – because we love each other for who we are and not what we look like.

As Percy said on the day that we married, we are each other’s ‘accomplices in mischief, comrades in arms, confessors, confidants, fearless leaders and loyal supporters, and very best of friends’.

He is my soulmate and my rock. When we decided to marry, my gut instinct told me this was the man for life for me – and luckily it has come true.

Monday, February 19, 2018

Global superstar Dame Joan Collins brought her trademark glitz and glamour to Fulham on Tuesday (6 February) at the official opening of the newest Shooting Star Chase charity shop.

Shooting Star Chase provides care and support to children with life-limiting conditions and their families, and Dame Joan Collins, a Patron of the charity since 2003, officially opened the shop located on Fulham Road.

She was joined by some children and their families who are supported by the charity, Gwen, Molly and Liam who presented Dame Joan with a bouquet of flowers and a special art canvas designed by children from the hospices.

Dame Joan has donated nearly 500 exclusive items from her very own collection, which include a stunning black sequin dress, Chanel skirt and Grey Lloyd Klein Suit worn by the actress, allowing people a chance to own a unique piece of history. Showcasing a cream lace blouse from Catwalk Collection which is priced at £100.

Dame Joan Collins, Shooting Star Chase Patron said; “I began my association with Shooting Star Chase in 2003. As a Patron, fifteen years on, I am delighted to still be a part of such a special charity. Sharing a huge variety of events to fundraise and raise awareness over the years has been a pleasure. I was even tasked to become a broker for a day! Meeting the children and the families, for whom Shooting Star Chase is vital, remains at the heart of what I enjoy most about being a Patron. I am very happy to be opening the latest Shooting Star Chase charity shop in Fulham and wish it all the success that their other charity shops have achieved. I am thrilled to be able to donate clothes, shoes and accessories from my own personal wardrobe. I hope its presence will help continue Shooting Star Chase’s wonderful work and benefit all those families who need its support now and in the future.”

Karen Sugarman, Director of Fundraising at Shooting Star Chase said; “We are honoured at Shooting Star Chase to have Dame Joan as a Patron. Her hard work and commitment to our charity is tireless. She brings compassion, commitment and sparkle. We are thrilled that Dame Joan will open our fantastic and exciting new Fulham charity shop and has donated such a vast amount of her fabulous wardrobe.”

A stalwart supporter of Shooting Star Chase, Dame Joan Collins’ visit to the Fulham shop is just the latest in a number of generous activities she has undertaken as a Patron of the charity. Alongside regularly donating items from her personal wardrobe to the charity’s retail shops, she has treated supported families to exclusive Afternoon Tea’s at the Dorchester and breakfasts at Selfridges, officially opening the Weybridge shop and has appeared on Celebrity Deal or No Deal and Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to raise vital funds for the charity. She received her Damehood in 2015 for years of charity work.

Items for sale include a vast array of clothing, hats, shoes and jewellery- with a mix of vintage, high street and designer labels. The shop is also running a silent auction for some of the most iconic items which include a Monte Blanc Zebra print handbag, a Christian Dior brooch, an engraved mirror compact, LK Bennett shoes and signed copies of her book.

Shooting Star Chase have a growing number of shops, now with a total of 11 across London and Surrey, all run by an amazing team of more than 220 dedicated volunteers. The shops play a vital role in helping the charity fund their care service, offering a huge range of pre-loved high quality items – including from an A-list celebrity! The new Fulham shop is the hub of houseware, terrific toys and fundraising fashions.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

As it's time for the 2018 Bafta Awards which this year is hosted by the fabulous Joanna Lumley, here is a flashback to last year, where Joan was a guest presenter. This super candid shot features Joan sharing a joke with Joanna before the start of the show..

Joan Collins: Want to know why all the Oscar films are boring? I’ll tell you

Also: Why I’m not being a diva when I refuse to shake your hand

I’ve been meaning to write a Spectator diary since the summer but as a Gemini with Aries rising I find I have the annoying trait (just the one?) of being too easily distracted. Not by social media as so many are — Twittering and Instagramming only grab my attention for a couple of minutes each day. No, what entrances me are movies, and the wonderful cornucopia of films available on Sky, Netflix, Amazon, iTunes and so many platforms proffering my preferred pastime on my big-screen TV. I refuse to be hunched over a tiny screen downloading the latest blockbuster from Disney or DreamWorks. I search for and find, like an eager fisherman, the classics: Bogart and Bergman inCasablanca (I’ve seen it 50 times at least), Kelly and Reynolds in Singin’ in the Rain (40 times), Davis and Henreid in Now, Voyager, Grant and Kelly in To Catch a Thief (not so many times — it’s not a repeater like the others) and hundreds more. Every time I become glued to the great films of the Golden Era I notice so many new things, particularly the reactions of the supporting and background performers.

I’ve tried to watch the latest batch of potential Oscar contenders sent to me by the Academy and Bafta; the stack of DVDs we attempted to wade through during the Christmas season is now three-feet high. Talk about snooze-making! I pulled off some high-quality naps watching some of these boring bombs. I am not alone in my opinion that many of them are dull, pretentious and preachy; most are far too long and drawn out, and many of my fellow Oscar voters are bemoaning the lack of a good solid product. Hollywood will probably despise me for saying this but when I watch a motion picture I want to be entertained, kept interested and intrigued. Romance, charm and style seem to have been replaced by brutal violence, revolting profanity or far-fetched and alien plotlines. No wonder box-office takings are way down.

The flu season is raging and I myself was struck down with the virus on a plane to Dubai as I travelled to perform my one-woman show at the opera house in December. In spite of having had a flu shot, which protects one from the virus’s deathly A-strain, apparently one can still succumb to the less serious but still awful B-strain, which I unfortunately contracted. But the show must go on, so I staggered on to the stage, the words of my ex about the roar of the greasepaint ringing in my ears, and managed to get through it, in spite of several coughing fits. Back in London I took to my bed like a Victorian lady with a case of the swoons — legs shaky as spaghetti, ribs aching from a hacking cough. Bed-bound for a fortnight, I missed several amusing Christmas parties and almost felt that the end was near. (I’m an actress — you have to expect some drama.) A few weeks later, on the flight from London to LA, I was adamant on blocking the airvent above me with duct tape and swabbing my seat and media screen vigorously with disinfectant wipes. Now I wear gloves whenever possible to protect myself against virulent germs — it may appear eccentric but just wait till I put on that surgical mask. I avoid shaking hands, much less this ghastly fad of kissing and hugging strangers as if they’re pals. Dining at a popular restaurant, the maître d’ was shaking hands with the patrons and when he came over to me, all Uriah Heep-like, proffering his appendage — his hand, I mean — I refused to shake it as I imagined it covered in germs. He was quite offended but my doctor told me that lightning can strike twice.

Hollywood is in an uproar. Some actresses have discovered that some actors and producers are nasty sexual predators. Oh really? Expressing an opinion about this is fraught with danger, so I shall refrain before it’s ‘off with her head’ to me. Nevertheless, if these accusations towards men continue much longer, I fear a major decline in population growth in the near future. An agent I know, who was negotiating a deal for a client, was accused by a female producer of being ‘a bully’ and warned that she was going to expose him because ‘Hollywood doesn’t like bullies’. If she really wanted to know what a bully was like, she should have dealt with super-agent Sue Mengers. A play about her was aptly named I’ll Eat You Last.

A 30-year-old single man informs me that he wouldn’t consider dating because he was too scared of being accused of inappropriate behaviour or of being ‘named and shamed’ by social media or the Twitterati. ‘I go out with the guys, drink beer and watch box sets,’ he said ruefully, ‘and friends are doing the same. We’re scared of the #MeToo movement and of being accused of sexual harassment and worse if we even tell a girl she’s pretty.’ ‘In my day we called it flirting,’ I told him.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Continuing her tireless support of The Shooting Star Chase Children's Charity, Joan cut the ribbon earlier today on a new boutique store on Fulham Road, which will sell a range of clothing and accesssories to benefit the charity.. To get the ball rolling Joan donated over 500 items from her own personal wardrobe to bring a touch of Hollywood to Fulham!